Acne Treatments

Page updated 03/04/22 3:37:44 am

What causes acne?

There are four major factors that contribute to acne development:

Overactive Sebaceous Glands. The sebaceous glands create sebum, or oil, that lubricates the skin's surface. Those who are prone to acne have oil glands that produce more sebum than is necessary. Excess oil remains in the pore, blocking the sebaceous duct and creating a blockage within the follicle.

Abnormal Shedding of Skin Cells. The top layer of the skin constantly sheds dead skin cells to exfoliate and renew itself. These new cells slowly travel up through the epidermis until they reach the outermost layer. The dead skin cells continually fall away to be replaced by new cells pushing up from below.  This happens not just on your face, but over your entire body. However, acne prone skin produces more dead skin cells than is typical, and the skin cells are not being shed properly.

Clogged Pores. Since the shedding of the skin can be cumbersome, it is possible that it is not easily removed, thus clogging the pores of the skin. It prevents the skin from breathing by clogging the follicles of the skin thus creating blockage. This blockage affects the regular maintenance of the skin cells, and affects the areas of the pores.

Proliferation of Bacteria. The availability of dead cells and oil within the pore creates an anaerobic environment, wherein bacteria thrive and their population grows. The bacteria digest the oil trapped within the pore, producing a fatty acid waste. This waste irritates the pore lining, causing redness and inflammation.

Acne treatment

Although your skin may be prone to breakouts, there are various way to prevent further problems on your skin, and help to boost your confidence. There are plenty of products available that can help treat these major acne-causing factors, allowing your skin to clear up and heal. These include soap, facial wash, creams and ointment that use acne fighting ingredients to reduce, if not to prevent, the breakouts of acne.

Acne triggers

There are many factors that can trigger or aggravate existing cases of acne, including:

Hormones that increase in boys and girls during puberty and cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge and make more sebum. Hormonal changes related to pregnancy and the use of oral contraceptives also can affect sebum production.
Stress can make acne worse.
The use of certain medications, such as those that contains corticosteroids, androgens or lithium can worsen acne.
Intake of dairy products and carbohydrate-rich foods - such as bread, bagels and chips - may trigger acne.  Page updated 03/04/22 3:37:44 am